The mission was simple: capture Tora, the Fire Daimyo's wife's runaway cat.
Simple, right?
Wrong.
Team 7 stood in the Hokage's office, staring at the mission scroll in Kakashi's hand. Sakura groaned. Sasuke scowled. Naruto just blinked, glancing at the mission details like it was another pointless assignment.
"A D-rank mission?" Sasuke muttered, crossing his arms. "This is a waste of time."
Kakashi, as always, was unfazed. "You have to start somewhere. Consider it teamwork training."
Sakura perked up, brushing her hair back. "If we're working together, Sasuke-kun, then I'm fine with it!"
Naruto said nothing, just watching them with the same quiet expression he always wore. He had done nothing but D-ranks all week—picking up trash, walking dogs, pulling weeds. At least he didn't have to be a weasel again. Weasels were always blamed for stealing food, even if they didn't do it.
"Alright," Kakashi said, rolling the scroll shut. "Let's go find Tora."
Thirty minutes in, the mission had already gone downhill.
Sakura had scratches on her face. Sasuke was perched in a tree, glaring down at the bundle of leaves where Tora had just been a second ago. Kakashi was, as usual, reading his book. Naruto was standing in the middle of the training field, watching the chaos unfold with mild interest.
"That cat is a menace," Sakura growled, rubbing her cheek. "How does one animal cause so much trouble?"
"It's just a cat," Sasuke muttered, eyes scanning the area. "It can't hide forever."
"It's a ninja cat," Kakashi corrected absentmindedly, flipping a page. "It has more survival instincts than most Genin."
Sakura groaned, brushing her dirtied skirt. "Ugh, Naruto, help us already! You're just standing there!"
Naruto blinked at her. "You're chasing it wrong."
Sasuke scoffed. "Oh? And you know the right way?"
Naruto thought for a moment. "Yes."
Sakura huffed. "Then why haven't you caught it yet?"
Naruto tilted his head. "You didn't ask. Dattebane"
Silence.
Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just—just go catch the cat, Naruto."
Naruto shrugged. "Okay."
Then he sat down.
Not in a combat stance, not in a ready position. Just cross-legged on the ground, hands resting on his knees. Sasuke and Sakura stared at him, and even Kakashi glanced up from his book.
"What are you doing?" Sakura demanded.
Naruto didn't answer. He just sat. He closed his eyes. Breathed in. Breathed out.
Then—
A rustling sound.
Sasuke turned, Sharingan flaring slightly. Sakura tensed. Kakashi's single visible eye widened just a fraction.
From the bushes, the small, furry head of a cat peeked out.
Tora.
The infamous demon feline of Konoha, the scratcher of a thousand Shinobi, the beast that had reduced seasoned Jounin to whimpering messes, the terror of D-rank missions—
It walked right up to Naruto.
Not cautiously. Not with suspicion. No hissing, no defensive stance.
Tora sniffed once, then sat in Naruto's lap.
Naruto's hand came up, scratched behind its ear, and the cat let out a pleased purr.
Sasuke's mouth opened slightly in disbelief. Sakura looked like she had just been hit by a Genjutsu. Kakashi lowered his book.
Naruto just kept petting the cat, running his fingers over its fur like it was the most natural thing in the world. Tora's eyes drooped, completely relaxed, tail flicking lazily.
Sakura's eye twitched. "HOW—?!"
"You're chasing it wrong," Naruto repeated simply, still stroking Tora's fur.
Sasuke's fingers twitched. "That's it? You just sit down and it comes to you?"
Naruto nodded. "It's a cat."
Sakura threw her hands up. "That doesn't explain anything!"
Naruto tilted his head slightly, expression blank. "If you chase something, it runs. If you don't chase it, it comes to you."
Sasuke looked personally offended by the logic. "That—That's ridiculous."
Naruto scratched under Tora's chin. "Okay."
Kakashi chuckled, putting his book away. "Well, mission accomplished. Good work, Naruto."
Naruto stood, cradling Tora in his arms, the cat still perfectly content. "Are we done?"
Kakashi nodded. "We're done."
Sakura dragged her hands down her face. "This isn't fair. That cat clawed me."
Sasuke scowled. "I refuse to believe that actually worked."
Naruto just blinked at them. "Maybe it likes me."
Tora nuzzled against his arm, purring loudly.
Kakashi hummed. "Or maybe you're secretly a cat whisperer."
Naruto thought about it. "I was a cat once. Dattebane."
Sakura squinted at him. "What?"
Naruto blinked. "Nothing."